The roads less traveled or not taken by the Broncos are best.

Broncos Bravehearts, think “CBS’’.

Chargers.

Bills.

Steelers.

At least one of those AFC teams must win in the wild card round Sunday or Monday to benefit Broncos. They are the Nos. 7, 6 and 4 seeds. The Broncos would be ameliorated to eschew the Texans (5), the Jaguars (3) and the Patriots (2) in the first game of the playoffs and the conference championship.

Anyone loyal to the Broncos can join Thunderbolt backers at Society Sports & Spirits, the Buffalo wingsters at Stoney’s Uptown or the Steel millers at The Rusty Bucket.

How about this schedule for the Broncos – the Bills and the Jaguars in Denver and the Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif?

The Avengers End Games.

In the Payback Postseason the Broncos can retaliate against old foes from New England, Jacksonville, Houston, San Diego/Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and, oh, Buffalo.

The consensus outside Colorado is that despite the Broncos possessing the home field edge, the altitude advantage, a 14-3 record, the comebackers of the year award and the NFL’s second-stingiest defense, they won’t win the Super Bowl or even the AFC title game.

The Broncos have lost two previous AFC championship games and a record-tying (with the Patriots) five Super Bowls. Yet, they have won eight conference championships and three Super Bowls.

The Broncos are 23-20 in the postseason and have an overall 555-496 record in franchise history. They’ve received a first-round bye a dozen seasons.

Good thing the Broncos aren’t forced to play in a wild card game this year. They’ve lost seven of nine.

In divisional playoff games the Broncos are 10-6, including 8-3 at home.

The most discouraging, disappointing, depressing defeats in the postseason were, of course, the five Super Bowls, but the loss in Buffalo to the Bills in the 1991 AFC Championship 10-7 was worse because John Elway had to leave the game with an injury, and the Broncos missed three field goals. The other conference crown contest the Broncos faltered in was Jan. 22, 2006, in Denver when Pittsburgh prevailed 34-17.

The Jan. 4, 1997, upset to the Jaguars was devastating, as were the Ravens’ Mile High Miracle in the 2012 season and the 24-13 failure against the Colts Jan. 11, 2015.

The Broncos have played in the postseason vs. five of the other six AFC playoff teams – the Bills, the Steelers, the Jaguars, the Patriots and the Chargers. Oddly enough, they are 1-1 in the postseason against Houston, but the Oilers are now in Nashville. They slid past the then San Diego Chargers in the first playoff game during the run to Super Bowl 48. And they’ve knocked off the Patriots in three of four postseason games. Manning won; Tebow lost.

The Broncos were beaten by the Bills last season in their first playoff game since Super Bowl 50.

The Jaguars are 1-1 with the Broncos after being jagged in the playoff rematch in 1997.

The Steelers are the Broncos’ most frequent opponent in the playoffs. In eight meetings the Broncos are 5-3 (4-2 at home).

Although Broncos’ coach Sean Payton, his staff and the players won’t acknowledge who they would prefer to play, they actually favor confrontations with the Steelers and the Chargers. Their fan and media base agree.

The most difficult AFC challenges to the Broncos in the AFC are:

1. Texans. The Broncos squeezed them by three in Houston, but the Texans haven’t lost a game since then.
2. Patriots. They have the AFC MVP in quarterback Drake Maye and the coach of the year in Mike Vrabel. And they are back.
3. Jaguars. They are scary, especially after controlling the Broncos in December and 1996.
4. Bills. Josh Allen can win by himself. The man who should have been in Denver buffaloed the Broncos a year ago.
5. Pittsburgh. Does Aaron Rodgers have one victory left in his career?
6. The Broncos defeated the Chargers in the last game of the season. Justin Herbert and others didn’t play. The Broncos didn’t play, either.

The Broncos will drive home the AFC because they don’t have any roads to take and travel until the Super Bowl.